Chapter 4: Return to Nightmare Origin

  "Girl, whose family are you from? Running around alone is not good and will make people worry."

  "Huh, you don't have a name? Since you're a spirit born from the house, why don't we just call you Fang Xiaoling, okay?"

  "Ling'er, I'm telling you, Uncle praised me today! Not even his own son gets treated like this, haha..."

  "Ling'er, I don't want to marry the daughter of old Zhang's family, she already has someone she likes, how can I..."

  "Ling'er, if you don't abandon me, we can rely on each other for survival, okay?"

  "Ling'er, when spring arrives and the cold air is sharp, I will return. By then, it's also time for us to drink the osmanthus wine we buried under the old locust tree."

  "Ling'er..."

  However, jug after jug of wine has been opened under the old locust tree, where are you?! I won't abandon you, where are you?!

  Xun Qing, you... big cheat!!

  That last glimpse of shock and awe in the bloody sea finally became a farewell. On that night when flames danced and sparks flew everywhere, she thoroughly missed it and also thoroughly lost - lost to her own cowardly self.

  She had never hated herself so much. She thought she loved Xun Qing, but in the face of that great fire, she was not even worth a blow.

  Fire has always been the arch-nemesis of wood.

  Her pupils contracted violently, forcing herself to watch the tragic scenes in front of her that were like a human hell, just like people who had been sentenced to extreme punishment loved to watch other prisoners being beheaded or dismembered or burned at the stake with a painful and twisted expression.

  The small room was filled with an eerie red glow, and the innate fear it inspired made her unable to rush in immediately, even though she knew Xun Qing was inside. She was actually paralyzed by her own fear!!

  She trembled with both legs, unable to utter a complete sound, and finally knelt down with a sob. Her ten fingers clawed at the ground, scratching out streaks of blood - so the monster's blood was also red... Hahaha!

  She knelt there stupidly, letting her tears blur her red eyes. The fire had been burning for a day and night, and she had also knelt there for a whole day and night. There were people around her making a racket, some pretending to be sad about the death of the entire Xun family, others lamenting the disaster, and even more speculating that it was an assassination by Regent Liu...

  It would be better if these people disappeared...

  Her dark pupils had already been dyed red, and she rushed towards the onlookers without regard for anything, her slender fingers instantly transforming into sharp deadly weapons.

  She vented her anger at herself, as well as the murderer hiding in the dark laughing, and even more so at these despicable bastards who stood by and did nothing!!

  "...She stared blankly as her fingers passed through the chests of those people, who didn't notice anything out of place and continued to chat and laugh. The only one who felt a sudden chill was the person who had been pierced, who wrapped their silver fox fur cloak tighter around them."

  She can't even kill a single person, what revenge can she take, what can she do!! Haha, haha haha...

  Fang Xiaoling supported her forehead, maniacally laughing out loud, stumbling and staggering as she walked back and forth, collapsing onto the charred remains of the old mansion's skeleton, not wanting to wake up, it would be better if she just slept like this...

  Time passed and circumstances changed, but the old house did not fall into disrepair. After Fang Xiaolong woke up, he added a layer of wooden screens outside and renovated it himself.

  Xu Qing's body was abandoned at the city gate, tied with a worn-out rope, swaying gently in the wind. She couldn't remember what it felt like to secretly carry him down in the middle of the night, she just thought it was good that she could still find him, or else he would have been so cold...

  The body had been charred to the point of being almost unrecognizable, but Fang Xiaoling was still able to identify him at a glance.

  "Xun Qing, let's go home..."

  On that day, Fang Xiaoling carried his body back to the old mansion and buried him under their favorite old locust tree. She opened a jar of osmanthus wine and got drunk, crying loudly as she drank. At her most emotional moment, she wailed and cursed, pointing at him under the locust tree, calling him a big liar, a bad person, and a weird uncle who lured away children...

  Unfortunately, no one ever gently walked up to her again, holding a handkerchief to wipe away the rolling tears, coaxing her by saying, "Right, I'm a bad person, remember to stay far away from me next time, even farther."

  I don't want to be further away from you, this distance is fine. But where are you, I can't see you... I was wrong, you're not a bad person, I really was wrong, as long as you come back, I'll be the worst of the bad people, okay, okay...

  …………

  "What's wrong, what did you dream of, that even the fearless and daring you would be scared like this?" The warm and gentle voice was so familiar, she could feel something soft and delicate wiping her face, the care was as if it was handling the most fragile porcelain vase in the world, so gentle, so... enchanting.

  Fang Xiaoling blinked her eyes, and the pain of her past life still lingered in her pupils, but at this moment, she suddenly looked like she had stolen a sweet treat.

  She grasped Xun Qing's collar with one hand, crying profusely and pouring out all her grievances and frustrations. It was as if a wounded young beast had suddenly seen the mother who nursed it, and cried out in anguish, revealing all its weakness and ugliness. Because she was convinced that he would never despise her.

  Xun Qing stared blankly at the woman who had fallen into his arms, crying. To be precise, it was a female demon. He was stunned for a moment. After a while, he gently patted her back to help her catch her breath and slowly comforted her, "Crying will make everything better, if you're tired, just sleep here, don't worry, I'm here."

  The little house spirit looked at him with misty eyes, then looked at the clothes that had been messed up by herself, and couldn't help but sniffle. She felt a bit like laughing, but also felt embarrassed, so she buried her small face in his chest and pretended to be dead.

  Xun Qing saw that she was no longer emotionally agitated, so he relaxed and leaned against the tree trunk, saying casually: "Ling'er, you said that all demons are like you? Mother really lied, demons aren't that scary, they won't eat people."

  “……”

  Xun Qing saw that she had no reaction, turned her head and found that she was already asleep, with unshed tears still on her face, fragile like a porcelain doll that made people unbearable to touch.

  "Alas... what should I do with you, Ling'er..." The faint sigh gradually dissipated in the chilly air, yet lingered in Xiao Ling's heart for a long time.

  Her long eyelashes quivered slightly, her breathing was soft and slow.

  The boss is a trustworthy person, now it's three months before the incident, she still has the opportunity to turn everything around...